Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-03
CHURCH DEDICATION.
CONSIDERATION OF THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH AT C0LUSA.
The Excursion-Dedic -Confir..
mation-Concert-L
Dedicatory Sermon.


Over two hundred persons left Sacramento
yesterday morning for Celusa TO attend the
dedication ceremonies of the Catholic
church at Colusa. A RECORD UNION rep
resentative accompanied the excursion.
Forty or fifty persons joined the train at
Woodland, and others in large numbers
were taken on at stations beyond. The
train arrived at Colusa about 10 A. NJ.
coLUsA
Was all astir. 1t having been previously
announced far and near that the Catholic
church of that place would be dedicated
Sunday. The people of Colusa had made
ample provision to accommodate and en-
tertain all guests who might come. 1t was
learned that the sun had hardly shown
itself above the horizon when all classes of
vehicles, bearing their burdens of human
lty, began TO arrive on the different roads.
Shortly afterwards there followed two
excursion trains, one from Willows and
that from Sacramento a few hours later
Among the Sacramentans were some fifty
L
tute, prominent among whom were Cap
tain Dwyer, M. ]. O'Reily, District Dep
uty, j. c. German and Daniel J. Long.
The Williams train brought about one
hundred eXcursionists. 1t was estimated
that fully
ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE
Had arrived in town, in all, by private con-
veyances and the two excursion trains. At
1915 A. NJ. Father Wallrath, the resident
priest, had arranged all details so well
that very near to the hour announced, 10:30
Bishop Monogue,sof the Sacramento Dio-
cese, and his assistants, Rev. Father Quinn
of Sacramento, Rev. Father REYNOLDS of
Willows, Rev. Father 2. Paulenus, of the
Order of st. Francis, San Francisco, and
Father w, l rath, assembled in the church
and with their attendants and acolytes
formed the procession and marched out of
the building, the Bishop bearing golden
crozier, the insignia of his high office. The
cross was also borne aloft by an assistant.
The procession wound slowly around the
church, the Bishop pronouncing the FORM
ula according to the ritual of the church
for the dedication of the foundation and
walls of the structure. This done the pro-
cession entered the church, followed by
AN IMMENSE CONGREGATION.
Within, the several parts of the interior
were blessed and dedicated to sacred uses
Of the church, and finally the altar was in
like manner declared consecrated to the
worship of God
Solemn high mass was then celebrated,
the Bishop officiating, the music rendered
by the choir being Weber's Mass. The
rendition of the music was very fine. The
singers were: Sopranos, Mrs. j. Bobst, Miss
Kate Sherman contraltos, Mrs. j. Grove,
Miss Ida Ponder; tenor, J. Grover; basso,
J. w. Warwick organist, Miss Clara
Smith. Prior to the conclusion of these
ceremonies Rev. Father Quinn, of Sacra-
mento, preached
THE DEDICAToRY SERMON.
We present brief synopsis of the able
effort
The time at our disposal, my dear friends,
will not permit of q set sermon on the
dedication of church, but will give YOU
few thoughts suggested by the dedication
of this church. The ceremc nj. S, as YOU
will see, are, as God is the highest and
grandest object of our contemplation, the
greatest and most dignified expression we
can give of our exterior worship of the
Creator. The first of my thoughts is there
fore the natural consequence of the glory
of God as shown to US in the Roman Cath
Olic Church, t!t1o true Church of Christ.
This church is the sun of the moral
world, sun which rose over the cross of
Christ on Mount Calvary and has gone on
ever since enlightening the world. 1t
burst forth from darkness which hung
around that awful tragedy; for a little
space it was obscured; hidden behind the
clouds of hatred begotten of pagan fear and
the power of the Caesars. But it still shone.
dispelled the darkness, made pagan tenn
r1ia horrSac of God /, 4
the great Roman tyranny erected Chris
tian empire that sent rays of modern ciyiliz-
alton into every quarter of the world. To-
day, dedicating in this land so distant from
the center of Christian unity, we can look
down the ages and recognize in other such
churches, miles stones on the way to eter-
nifty
GUIDE-MARKs OF THE ROAD
To heaven. Other so-called lights of Christ
ianity arose, glistened for a while. then
faded, and some still shine, but all with a
light which they borrowed or stole from
the light of the world-Christ's one true
church. The Roman Catholic Church is
the mother of modern civilization, and
what we are or have We owe to her. She
found the world in condition unholy and
corrupt threw her spells over nations
rude, brutal and barbarous. We, with all
lect and modes of rendering life more
pleasant should not forget our forefathers
the rough, almost untractahle material
of which we have been formed. Every vir-
tue, every wisdom, every improvement of
social life, We received from the Roman
Catholic Church, and the nations of the
earth must praise her. The priceless gems
of ancient learning the minds of which
were born the means of giving strength to
human intelligence and perpetuatinp the
wisdom of the ages, she fostered in her
monks and monasteries at times when the
world was the enemy of learning. and
looked on the learned as fools or towards.
This grand record of the Church, as we
watch the banner of Christ glimmering in
the twilight OF history, glowing above the
throne OF the Caesars, shedding glory upon
the Ignorant hordes and to-day shining
from the lofty spires of innumerable
churches, gives us majestic thoughts which
cannot find expression in words.
So much for the world at large. The
second thought suggested is of
OUR OWN DEAR LAND.
For long time We Catholics were treated
with contenpt-our claims to a lust hear
ing received sneers, and within a few davs
we have been told that this is Protestant
nation. Does the Protestant portion of our
country know the history of our best loved
land? viii they acknowledge that when
Christians first set foot On its shores the re-
ligion which they nov profess was not even
amongst the creations of dream-l land? Yet
1t Is true. Columbus was a Roman Cath
Ollie The intellectual treasures of his
Church brought him visions of the dark
continent. Its princes and priests en-
coursged him, and Roman Catholic nation
sent him forth to win new fields for the
gospel OF Jesus Christ. He embarked amid
the blessings of the Roman Catholic Church
possessed the land for the God OF Catholics
consecrated, dedicated it to the honor of
Christ, ..and the wilds which had only heard
the wild cry of the Indian or howl of the
beast, now echoed the psalms and HYMNS
of his mother church. When our Protest.
ant brethren, prosecuted at home by their
own, fed to these shores, they carried per-
secution with them and tolerated no man
who believed not with them. But there
was one colony exiled for conscience sake
which loved their neighbors as themselves.